Photos: Ferguson on Edge

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder visited Ferguson, Mo., and sought to assure residents that the Justice Department was thoroughly probing the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer.

People march Wednesday to the police station to protest the shooting of Michael Brown.
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press…

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, left, meets with Sen. Roy Blunt (R., Mo.), center; Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, right; and other officials at the U.S. attorney's office in St. Louis on Wednesday.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Press Pool…

Children watch as people march to the police station to protest the shooting, which sparked more than a week of demonstrations, riots and looting in the St. Louis suburb.
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press…

Mr. Holder, left, talks with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at a restaurant in Florissant, Mo., on Wednesday.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Press Pool…

Spiritual teacher Iyanla Vanzant, right, consoles Shirley Scale, a resident at the Canfield Apartments, at the shrine to Michael Brown where he was shot and killed.
Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Associated Press…

Police set up a barricades in front of the courthouse in preparation for protests as the grand jury convened, but by 9 a.m. Wednesday, few people had shown up, despite calls by community organizers the night before for a large crowd.
Mark Kauzlarich/Reuters…

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch is turning to the 12-member grand jury to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against Mr. Wilson in the shooting death of Mr. Brown. Protesters, like those pictured above, have been calling for the immediate arrest of the officer.
Ted S. Warren/Associated Press…

Ferguson, a largely black St. Louis suburb, has been trying to pick up the pieces following repeated nights of turmoil, with schools and businesses finding it hard to open. The Ferguson-Florissant School District, which has more than 11,000 students enrolled, canceled classes that were to have started this past Thursday and now doesn't plan to begin its school year until Monday.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters…

Protesters march down Florissant Ave.
Natalie Keyssar for The Wall Street Journal…

A protester kneels down in front of a police line Monday.
Larry W. Smith/European Pressphoto Agency…

A man is detained after a standoff between protesters and police Monday.
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press…

National Guard troops arrive Monday at a mall complex that serves as a staging area in Ferguson.
Mark Kauzlarich/Reuters…

People demonstrate after a curfew early Sunday morning in Ferguson, before tear gas was fired to disperse the crowd.
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press…

Business owner Mustafa Alshalabi cleans damage to his Ferguson store, Sam's Meat Market, on Saturday after it was looted during a night of rioting.
Scott Olson/Getty Images…

These still images taken from a security camera were presented to the media during a news conference Friday by the Ferguson Police Department. They show what Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said had been a reported robbery of cigars at a convenience store in the area a few minutes before Officer Wilson encountered Mr. Brown walking down the street. Mr. Jackson alleged that Mr. Brown was tied to the robbery.
Ferguson Police Department via Reuters…

People put their hands in the air during a rally Aug. 14 in New York's Union Square as groups in cities across the country marched in solidarity with those in Ferguson.
Justin Lane/European Pressphoto Agency…

Capt. Johnson hugs a demonstrator in Ferguson on Aug. 14 after being assigned to restore calm in the St. Louis suburb.
David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Associated Press…

People gather in New York's Times Square on Aug. 14 to show solidarity with those in Ferguson.
Justin Lane/European Pressphoto Agency…

Al Sharpton speaks at a news conference about the shooting death of Mr. Brown on the steps of the Old Courthouse in St. Louis on Aug. 12. Behind Mr. Sharpton, from left, are Mr. Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr.; Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump; and Lesley McSpadden, Mr. Brown's mother.
J.B. Forbes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Zuma Press…